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China (mainland) – Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) and International Business Machines (IBM) has signed an agreement to license IBM’s 45nm bulk CMOS technology to SMIC for 300mm wafer foundry service.

Under the licensing agreement, IBM will license bulk CMOS technology to SMIC. The technology can be used to fabricate devices in mobile applications such as handsets integrated with 3G, multimedia, graphics chips, and chipsets at the 45nm technology node. The technology can also support the manufacturing of graphics and other consumer devices.

The agreement is expected to complement SMIC’s ongoing research and development progress, including its 65nm low-power technology, which is under customer product qualification.

Matthew Szymanski, SMIC’s vice president of corporate relation, said that the technology could accelerate SMIC technology advancement in logic process technology and help provide optimal solutions for the company’s clients at its 300mm facilities. Szymanski added that coupled with IBM’s expertise on design enabler and system IP comprehension, SMIC can transition fabless customers to system-on-chip (SOC) design for the 45nm node era.

The arrangement with IBM is part of SMIC’s commitment to further strengthen its leading foundry position in China to serve customers in high growth market sectors around the world. This agreement complements SMIC’s ongoing research and development progress, including its 65nm low-power technology, which is under customer product qualification.